ECtHR Finds No Violation in Kurdish Attorney, Politician’s Unidentified Murder

ECtHR (European Court of Human Rights) has ruled there is no violation of right to live in unidentified murder of Kurdish attorney and politician Şevket Epözdemir who was killed after receiving death threat.

Family of Epözdemir who was shot to dead in his head after being kidnapped in Turkey’s eastern Tatvan district of Van province, had stated that Epözdemir had constantly received death threats, yet he wasn’t protected by officials.

ECtHR ruled that officials are not obliged to be informed in advance about threats.

Party buildings bombed

Democracy Party (DEP) building was bombed in August and December in 1993, which left 10 administrators and members dead.

DEP Tatvan District President attorney Şevket Epözdemir’s family said that he and DEP Bitlis Province President İshak Tepe were threatened by Tatvan Brigade Commander General Korkmaz Tağma.

Soon afterwards, İshan Tepe’s son Ferhat Tepe was kidnapped and murdered.

Epözdemir went to his office in the morning on November 25, 1993. He phoned his wife at around 8 p.m. and said he will be soon on his way home, but he didn’t return home.

Attorney Epözdemir’s body was found by soldiers the next day in Turkey’s eastern Güroymak village of Bitlis province.

In the autopsy, it was determined that he was shot in face and the bullet went through out his head. Prosecution took only family’s testimony. Nothing was done afterwards.

Crime scene investigation after 17 years

Relatives of Epözdemir went to Tatvan and Van prosecutions on June 5, 2003 and stated no action has been taken for 10 years. Other than “crime scene investigation” launched in 2010 and 2011, no step has been taken, and that no evidence was found in these investigations.

As family’s objection to these decisions was overruled, they went to the ECtHR in November 2015.

The petition expressed that the officials were informed about the threats against Epözdemir and he had to be protected. Besides, it was stated that the officials didn’t launch an effective investigation.

Annotation to ECtHR decision

However, ECtHR in his decision today taken with five against two ruled that right to live wasn’t violated.

Nevertheless, two judges annotating decision mentioning “counter-guerilla” allegations in that period, expressed that attorney Epözdemir was among politicians with high life threat risk.

The annotation text of the judges noted that in order for the state to be informed about the threat against Epözdemir, he himself doesn’t need to file a complaint as the state should already know of threat against Kurdish politicians. (AS/TK)

Click here to read the article in Turkish